If every Saint of God could see beyond the cross, they would find nothing but joy in being totally surrendered to our Lord. A “Cross Life” passes through many tough places. It includes self-denial, separation from the world, and many battles with the enemy of our soul. The “Cross Life” is never easy and is diametrically contrary to this world system. But, remember, it is the grandest life known to the human race.

First we must understand the cross of Jesus Christ. His cross far exceeds any cross we will ever be required to bear. He left His Heavenly Father’s eternal presence to condescend into His human temple. He actually laid aside all expressions of divinity — not the nature, but the outward glory — to walk among men. He endured every action of human hatred and abuse without complaint. When they battered His body, He only prayed for their forgiveness. He gave His body and soul for the remission of all of our sin. His cross was the ultimate cross. None can match the price He paid.

The Bible explains why and how He could bear such a load. He became our guilt for every human sin. There was only one possible way a human body could carry the load He carried. He looked beyond the cross to the triumph of human redemption and to the saints that would share that new life.

The Apostle Paul put this fact into perfect words to inspire the saints to bear their cross with exceeding hope of victory. The Holy Spirit inspired the words, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:2-3).

The Son of God prayed in the Garden, endured the stripes of great suffering, and finally died by the cruelest possible means without one expression of resistance. It was His vision of the joy this would produce that enabled Him to endure the cross. Notice those words again, “Who for the joy that was sit before Him.” Jesus Christ took a cross of sorrow and shame and turned it into the “Hope of The World.” That cross became the center of human history. It dates every event of mankind’s six thousand years.

The Lord Jesus Christ had proclaimed, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life …”(John 14:6). That statement was impossible without His cross. There is no final Way, or Truth, or Life until we properly view His death and His resurrection. Our cross can and will produce a likeness of His cross when we totally surrender to the death life it requires. To even speak of the cross without death is a total misnomer. It is Impossible! A cross can produce pain, sorrow, and shame; but, if that life stops short of death, it is only religion. The thing that is missing in today’s Church is that nobody wants to die to themselves. Separating one’s self from the world is almost completely absent in the present Church world.

Something sovereign is happening that will produce an awakening. The Christ-centered life of sanctification and death is going to break forth in a Holy Ghost revival. Actually, it cannot fail. It is impossible for even one saint of God to die to their self and not create a shakening. When God’s saints look beyond the pain of self-surrender and put everything of self on the altar to Him, a spiritual earthquake is in the making.

I challenge my Salty Saints’ readers to join me in death to ourselves. I do not speak of self-righteousness or just an external appearance of piety. I speak of allowing the grace of God to chasten, purify, and cleanse us until Jesus Christ is our everything. The joy of seeing the results of such surrender is the vision that will carry us through the dying process. Watch and see what our God is going to do when we can glory in our own cross and all of our independence has been crucified.

Joseph R. Chambers
jrc@pawcreek.org

Praying is a waste of time until the Prayer Warrior is willing to engage Satan in combat. The Son of God made one of his greatest proclamations about prayer in Matthew’s Gospel. His words took my breath when I read them again a few days ago. My soul has been longing for a prayer life like John Knox, Duncan Campbell, or John Wesley. The king of England declared that he feared the prayers of John Knox more than all the armies of his enemies. Today, it is clear that our politicians fear nobody, not even God.

That is about to change. Here is what Jesus Christ said about prayer, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house” (Matthew 12:28-29). Praying for a change in our churches, homes, or communities is hopeless until we move beyond just making petitions to God about the needs. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds…” (2 Corinthians 4:4a). Satan must be defeated by saints that engage him in combat. Satan has to be cast out of a situation before prayer can change that situation.

The Father is ready for you and me to learn that we can bind Satan and every evil spirit under his command. Never has our world been more overwhelmed with the spirit of the Antichrist. Our children are deeply troubled by dark forces of the night. Music of this generation is straight out of the pit. Rock, rap, and most contemporary music are soulical at best and often diabolical. This music creates bondage and spiritual blindness. Even small children are terribly troubled by spirits of fear and selfishness. Only in defeating these spirits can these lives be liberated.

Satan is nothing but a fallen angel. Jesus Christ has provided His church with authority to bind Satan and his powers so that Satan can do nothing but yield. The Son of God said “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).

This statement was made to Peter. Some might say that it does not apply to the church. Our Lord of His church was careful to eliminate that possible argument. Later, He speaks to the church about brother sinning against brother and the authority of the church to deal with such situations. He then tells the church, clearly identified as the church, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven”(Matthew 18:18-19). The church is His authority on earth, which includes the very realm of Lucifer. The very word church means “called out and set in authority.”

The Apostle Paul gave us the picture of warfare in the spiritual realm and warned us that it was like “hand-to-hand” combat. He said by the Spirit, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:11-12). Using the term “wrestle” reminds us of a personal engagement. It’s a spiritual war that we are called to be part of in this Christian life. Many years ago, the church used terms with a military ring, but our modern church is passive and resents such terminology. Their helplessness is the result of this lost of a warfare mentality.

This kind of warfare is not for the adult babies in our churches. The church is full of worldly, emotionally titillated people trying to use spiritualistic powers to bind spirits. They are making things worse, not better. The seven sons of Sceva were of the same nature as these spiritual weaklings. Seven of his sons tried to use the name of Jesus whom Paul preached and prayed over a possessed man. The result was a perfect picture of our church world today. “And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded” (Acts 19:15-16). Does Satan know our names like he knew Apostle Paul’s name?

Do not think to move quickly into this warfare with hell. Prepare your life by separation from the world and a great period of consecration to a life hid in Christ. Seek His righteousness and holiness until there is a broken and humble spirit before the Lord. Obey every Biblical restriction of Godliness and learn how to utterly depend on Christ and His Holy Spirit.

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18). But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” (Jude1:20). “…but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” (Daniel 11:32b).
Joseph R. Chambers
jrc@pawcreek.org